Decades away
“Computers are decades away from catching up with what we humans are good at. This new world of analytics and automation that is impacting on all human activity is not to be feared. It is to be embraced because we also live in a world of information — Big Data. Working with it, taking advantage of it is the way forward.”
Automation is replacing tasks, Blanchflower says, not necessarily people or jobs. “There is simply nothing new about machines taking over repetitive tasks. Automation has always been about money, essentially. Machines can do things faster, consistently and without overtime or holidays. In today’s smart world, we are just repeating that, now in areas that are not mechanical. One area that is new and developing is where systems interface directly with humans such as in triaging incoming phone calls.
“We now have ‘chatbots’ that can replace waiting in a queue with at least the beginning of a process to route the caller to the appropriate human who is going to carry out whatever is required. The best of those solutions depend on deep learning in the systems which are getting smarter all the time. Most of us remember when voice recognition was almost limited to Yes/No — and often got it wrong.”
The traditional business models are changing across most sectors and it is largely because of digitisation, the application of new technologies from mobile and cloud through social to analytics and the IoT.
Service-oriented business
“We see enterprises trying to differentiate themselves with new service-oriented business models,” says Cisco’s Brian Jordan. “For example, product manufacturers are trying innovate by adding a service dimension, generating a connection to the customer or user so that they can have an ongoing relationship. Unit customisation is a major trend, ranging from the colour and finish of trainers to wearables that monitor specific health conditions. Fitness wearables now come with statistical and other data to enrich the user experience.”
The enterprise is trying to influence and innovate in three major areas — the customer experience, the workforce experience and business operations, Jordan says. “We are essentially talking about digital transformation, every enterprise becoming to some extent a technology company. On the factory floor, it is the combining of automation and robotics with data that produces the higher value improvements like quality as well as simple efficiency of the production line. A key component of that progress is the use of converged IT-type networks on the production floor and throughout the manufacturing process. That enables much more flexible production line configurations, an agility that enables things like unit customisation in a cost-effective way.”
Cisco’s expertise is in the connecting layer, Jordan says, as we go forward into a world where literally billions of devices are going to be connected. “That in turn needs management and orchestration of the relevant services. For example, Cisco recently bought Jasper Technologies, a company that is behind a lot of the technology involved in connected cars. A major element of that connectivity is security and risk mitigation, not just from the sensors to the gateways but from there to the cloud services that are being delivered.”
Usable intelligence
“Analytics is another key area — no point in gaining all of the data unless it is producing usable information. If the need is real time the analytics is done at the edge of the network. Otherwise data centre analytics is where the longer term value is produced. In broad concept the connectivity is similar whether on the plant floor, in smart cities, between vehicles or the IoT. We are involved in the connectivity layer plus the security, orchestration and analytics and the software as well as the physical components of all of that.”
Looking at the promise of the smart enterprise and the future, Eoin O’Reilly, EY Ireland, likes to start with the idea of disruption amid the megatrends in business.
“Airlines and travel have been transformed in less than a couple of decades. Smart phones have replaced travel agents and the whole physical check-in process has been transformed. It also means that for the airline its digital, analytics and technology functions are as important as maintaining and flying the planes. At the other end of the spectrum, there are companies that have turned industries on their heads, like AirBnB and Uber. Neither own any properties or taxis yet they are the largest in the world of their kind.”
Ltd
